2025-11-29 11:32

JAKARTA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The death toll from floods and landslides following cyclonic rains in the Indonesian island of Sumatra has risen to 303, the head of the country's disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday, up from a previous figure of 174 dead. Large parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have been stricken by cyclone-fuelled torrential rain for a week, with a rare tropical storm forming in the Malacca Strait. Sign up here. At least 279 people are still missing even as about 80,000 people have been evacuated and hundreds are still stranded in three provinces across Sumatra island, Indonesia's westernmost area, head of the agency Suharyanto told journalists. Responders have used helicopters to deliver aid and for logistics in the northern part of the island, which was the hardest hit with roads cut off and communications infrastructure destroyed by landslides. "We are trying to open the route from North Tapanuli to Sibolga (in North Sumatra province), which is the most severely cut off for a third day," he said. He added that rescue forces were trying to break through a road blockage caused by a landslide, and that people were trapped on a stretch of road and in need of supplies. The military presence will be enhanced on Sunday to help with relief efforts, he said. There were attempts by those affected by the rain to ransack supplies in the Central Tapanuli area, which was badly affected, he further added. Across the Malacca Strait in Thailand, the death toll from floods in the southern part of the country has risen to 162, government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said on Saturday, up from the previous toll of 145. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/indonesia-flood-death-toll-climbs-303-amid-cyclone-devastation-disaster-agency-2025-11-29/

2025-11-29 11:02

BEIJING, Nov 29 (Reuters) - China's central bank reaffirmed its tough stance on virtual currencies on Saturday, warning of a resurgence in speculation and vowing to crack down on illegal activities involving stablecoins. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said at a coordinating meeting on virtual currency regulation on Friday that crypto speculation has recently increased due to various factors, presenting new challenges for risk control, according to a statement released by the central bank. Sign up here. "Virtual currencies do not hold the same legal status as fiat currency and cannot be used as legal tender in the market," the PBOC said in a statement, adding that virtual currency-related business activities are "illegal financial activities." The central bank specifically highlighted concerns about stablecoins, saying they fail to meet requirements for customer identification and anti-money-laundering controls. It warned that stablecoins risk being used for illegal activities including money laundering, fraud, and unauthorized cross-border fund transfers. The central bank said it will "intensify efforts to combat related illegal financial activities" and "to maintain economic and financial stability." In October, PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng said the central bank would continue to crack down on the operation and speculation of domestic virtual currencies, and at the same time closely track and dynamically evaluate the development of overseas stablecoins. Hong Kong, which has established a regulatory regime for stablecoins, has not yet awarded any licences to issuers. In China, cryptocurrency trading has been banned since 2021. Bitcoin mining is quietly staging a comeback in China despite being banned four years ago, as individual and corporate miners exploit cheap electricity and a data center boom in some energy-rich provinces, according to miners and industry data. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/chinas-central-bank-vows-crackdown-virtual-currency-flags-stablecoin-concerns-2025-11-29/

2025-11-29 10:19

MADRID, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia has barred access to a natural park after six wild boar found dead near Barcelona tested positive for African swine fever in the country's first outbreak since 1994. The Collserola park, a major natural park in the region, was closed for all leisure activities and outdoor activities were restricted in 60 villages near the centre of the outbreak, the Catalan Agriculture Ministry said late on Friday. Sign up here. Catalan authorities will deploy traps for wild boar and deploy police to enforce barriers to the area. African swine fever is not harmful to humans but spreads rapidly among pigs and wild boar. Taiwan became the latest country to announce restrictions on Spanish pork imports, when its agriculture ministry said on Saturday it had banned all pork product and live pig imports. China has banned pork imports from Barcelona province after Spain detected its first case of African swine fever in three decades, a Chinese Customs document seen by Reuters showed. Britain on Friday said it would temporarily stop imports of pork meat from Catalonia. Mexico has suspended imports of pork products from Spain following the swine fever outbreak. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/catalonia-closes-park-after-swine-fever-outbreak-2025-11-29/

2025-11-29 09:57

BAGHDAD, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Iraq's Kurdistan region has agreed with the company operating the Khor Mor gas field to restart production within hours to restore electricity, Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Saturday, days after the field was hit in an attack. The Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest in the Kurdistan region, provides supplies for regional power generation. Sign up here. On Thursday, joint field operator Dana Gas said a rocket had struck a storage tank at the gas field late on Wednesday, leading to production shutdown and extensive power cuts. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and authorities have not said who was behind the attack. In a separate incident on Saturday, an attack on fuel tanker trucks in the northern city of Erbil killed one person and injured others, the Kurdistan region's interior ministry said, describing the assailants as "rioters." The ministry said the tankers were carrying liquid fuel to supply power plants after gas production at Khor Mor was halted. The storage tank at Khor Mor is part of new facilities partially financed by the U.S. and built by a U.S. contractor, an industry source said earlier this week. "I have spoken with the company's (Dana Gas) leadership to thank them and their workforce for their extraordinary resilience and determination amid eleven attacks on the Khor Mor field," Barzani said in a statement posted in English. The attack was the most significant since a series of drone attacks in July hit oilfields and cut production from the region by around 150,000 barrels per day. "I have urged (Iraqi) Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to hold the perpetrators of this attack accountable to the full extent of the law, whoever they may be and wherever they are," Barzani added. The Kurdistan Regional Government exercises autonomy in northern Iraq, where U.S. companies have significant investments in energy. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/gas-exports-iraqs-khor-mor-field-resume-days-after-drone-attack-2025-11-29/

2025-11-29 09:48

ISTANBUL, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Turkey said on Saturday that an unmanned vessel reportedly attacked a tanker in Russia's shadow fleet off Turkey's Black Sea coast, after the ship was initially struck late on Friday. The Turkish transport ministry said in a statement that the Virat suffered minor damage after the attack but is in a stable condition and the crew is in good health. Sign up here. "The Virat, reportedly attacked by unmanned vessels some 35 miles offshore in the Black Sea, was reportedly attacked again this morning by unmanned vessels. (Virat) sustained minor damage to its starboard side above the waterline," the ministry said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the reported attacks. Separately, Turkish authorities continue extinguishing and cooling efforts on another Russian-bound tanker that caught fire after an explosion in the Black Sea, the ministry said. The rescue teams have evacuated 25 crew members from the 274-meter-long Kairos following the fire, the ministry said. On Friday, Turkey said Kairos was heading to Russia's Novorossiysk port when it reported "an external impact" causing a fire 28 nautical miles off the Turkish shore. Both Kairos and Virat are on a list of ships subject to sanctions imposed against Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to LSEG data. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/unmanned-vessel-attacked-russian-shadow-fleet-tanker-black-sea-turkey-says-2025-11-29/

2025-11-29 09:39

MOSCOW, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which handles more than 1% of global oil, said on Saturday it halted operations after a mooring at its Black Sea terminal was significantly damaged by a Ukrainian naval drone attack. "Further operation of mooring point 2 is not possible," it said in a statement about one of three key pieces of exporting equipment. Sign up here. CPC exports mainly from Kazakhstan via Russia and the Black Sea terminal. Kazakhstan's energy ministry said it had activated a plan to redirect oil exports to alternative routes after the attack, which it called unacceptable. CPC accounts for around 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports. The ministry also said that such actions pose risks to global energy security and cause significant damage to the economic interests of the consortium members. CPC's shareholders include U.S. majors Chevron (CVX.N) , opens new tab and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) , opens new tab. "It's not looking good - it was hit hard. They're going to launch the third mooring point, which is under repair," a trader told Reuters. No one was injured among CPC staff and contractors as a result of the attack on the oil terminal, the consortium said. At the moment of the explosion, the emergency protection system shut down the relevant pipelines and preliminary reports indicate that no oil has spilled into the Black Sea, it added. "Shipments at the terminal will be carried out in accordance with established rules once the threats from unmanned boats and drones have been eliminated," CPC said. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/cpc-says-oil-exports-halted-equipment-heavily-damaged-by-drones-2025-11-29/